Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure generally relates to appliances and, more particularly, to an air curtain arrangement for an appliance having a housing defining an opening and engaged with a cover member, and associated apparatus and method.
Description of Related Art
An air curtain arrangement may be implemented on some appliances to maintain an environment within the appliance housing, when a lid, door, or cover member associated with that appliance is opened. For example, such an air curtain may be implemented in an oven in order to reduce the amount of steam hitting the user's face when opening the oven door. In general, the air curtain may be achieved by directing a stream or sheet of air parallel to the opening of the oven that is normally closed by the oven door. Such an arrangement may reduce the escape of heat and steam from within the oven.
One possible issue with such an air curtain arrangement may be that the stream or sheet of air directed parallel to the opening of the appliance, when the door thereof is opened, may diffuse and disperse toward the side of the opening opposite to the side from which the air is emitted. As such, the efficacy of the air curtain may be more significant toward the air-emission side of the opening, and less significant toward the opposing side of the opening across which the air is directed.
Another possible issue is that the side of the opening receiving the stream or sheet of air directed across the opening may not necessarily be configured to prevent diffusion or dispersion of the air curtain. That is, the air curtain, upon reaching the opposed end of the opening, may be deflected by the structure and thus be deflected or dispersed about that end of the opening. Such deflection, dispersion, or diffusion may therefore cause the air curtain to be less effective.
Such weaknesses in the air curtain may be more pronounced when the door or other cover member sealing the opening is opened or closed with respect to the opening. For example, when the door of an appliance is opened or closed, the change in pressure about the opening of the housing/cavity of the appliance may cause the air curtain to be pushed into the housing or pulled outwardly of the housing. Any such deformation and/or re-direction of the air curtain may adversely affect the efficacy of the sheet/stream of air, either causing escape of the internal environment from the housing or ingress of the external environment into the housing.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a more effective air curtain arrangement that is more capable of retaining the integrity of the sheet/stream of air forming the air curtain, particularly upon the door/cover member of the appliance being opened and/or closed. In addition, it may be preferable that such an air curtain arrangement be capable of being readily integrated into various appliances that could benefit from an air curtain, or otherwise be capable of being retrofit to such appliances.